Sunday, November 16, 2008

The game got more boring in the third quarter -- there was only a single field goal to show for the teams' offensive efforts. That one came from John Kasay, who pushed Carolina to a 24-16 lead.

The Panthers made some nice defensive adjustments. Detroit was finally forced to punt in the third quarter, and running back Kevin Smith was shut down after an 86-yard first half. The Panthers even survived a "running into the punter" penalty that gave Detroit a second chance to score on one possession.

So while Carolina's offense was the star of the second quarter, the defense starred in the third. As the 4th quarter opens, Carolina has the ball at midfield and in the midst of another drive. If I'm offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson, I'd run the ball 90 percent of the time in this quarter -- Detroit is obviously wearing down and both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are on their way to 100-yard plus days.